Power We Weren't Even Aware We Had

Before this class I honestly never thought how the Gay Revolution and Liberation was a,"symbol of a largely white, male movement that relegated people of color and women to its margins". As ignorant as it is, when I thought about LGBTQ I rarely thought about race and the effects race had on these movements and revolutions. 

Only till recently have I actually been challenged to consider the effect race had on these Revolutions. About a month ago, the staff at my school was given an LGBTQ training on acceptance and district policies. The training was helpful and informative but there was something missing. I didn't notice what was missing until the presenter said a fact about how white families are more excepting than families of other races. 

That's what is missing- during this entire presentation - race was left out of the conversation! Except for when the presenter discussed that it will be easier for white children than for children of different races . However, she did not expand this statistic further. And I wish she had. Because the way she left it, it sounded as though white families are more open and excepting than families of different races. She made it sound like the white families are better and more supportive. Again, whiteness was being brought to the forefront and congratulated. But she never explain why this statistic is the way it is! 

I feel as though this statistic is caused by white privilege and whiteness. To me this statistic is suggesting that stressing that those that are white have an easier time being excepted as LGBTQ because they are already white and already have less working against them. 

I know this is not a well thought out idea, I haven't had the change to verbally discuss it with anyone or really work through it, but the moment that presenter said the statistic, I turned to a colleague and said, "do you think that's because of race and white privilege?" The colleague shrugged and I haven't said anything on the topic since. 

Reading this curriculum and the articles attached brought this idea back to my attention and I felt like this was the perfect venue for talking through my thoughts and getting some input. I would love to know what you all think about this statistic and do you think its because of race? 

Check out this website- it breaks down LGBTQ Demograhics: https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/visualization/lgbt-stats/?topic=LGBT#density


Lastly, before I end this blog. In one of the Stonewall Videos, a speaker said, " We discovered a power we weren't even aware we had." He said this quote when he was discussing stonewall and the turning point. The man speaking was white and I wonder if he felt and discovered this power because he was white and had more privilege? Or was that power recognized by all in that moment? Just more thoughts swirling around in my head!

Thanks for reading and listening!